Nobody wants to find themselves in a submerged vehicle. Unfortunately, many drivers will find themselves in this terrifying position. It can happen to anyone.<\/p>\n
According to research<\/a> from the University of Manitoba, vehicles submersions are responsible for around 400 deaths a year<\/strong> in North America, one of the highest fatality rates of motor-vehicle accidents. Some studies report over 10,000 water immersion auto accidents every year.<\/p>\n From collapsing bridges and skids to crashes and Google Maps accidents, there are many ways your vehicle can enter a body of water. Even heavy rains and flooding can submerge a vehicle in a matter of minutes.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t even think about calling for help. No one will be able to come and rescue in time. If you find yourself submerged in water, you will need to rescue yourself. This is a matter of life or death.<\/p>\n In order to get yourself safely out of a sinking car, you will probably need a car escape tool, which combines a seat belt cutter with a window breaker. Here<\/a> is a list of the best car escape tools of 2017. We highly recommend keeping this tool in the glove compartment, especially if you live in a flood-prone area.<\/p>\n Avoid becoming fish food by learning how to escape from a sinking vehicle before it happens.<\/p>\n The water can cause a huge impact. Brace for it by firmly gripping the steering wheel at the \u201c9 and 3\u201d position rather than the \u201c10 and 2\u201d position. If the air bags go off (which they probably will), hands placed at the \u201c10 and 2\u201d position will cause your hands to hit your face. If you are wearing a watch, you could get knocked out as a result.<\/p>\n When your car enters a body of water, you have around 30 seconds to 2 minutes before the car sinks and becomes completely submerged. This gives you plenty of time to react and get yourself out, but you will still need to act fast.<\/p>\n Minivans and larger vehicles submerge slower than small car, but it\u2019s safe to assume that you have around 60 seconds to get yourself out.<\/p>\n As soon as you notice you\u2019re entering a body of water, stay focused and start repeating the steps you will need to take to escape. Don\u2019t panic!<\/p>\n Although it may be possible to open the door, as soon as you do, water will rush in and cause the car to immediately sink. It can also be extremely difficult to open the door. Opening the door can cut your escape time from 1-2 minutes to just a couple of seconds.<\/p>\n The first thing you should do is unbuckle your seat belt. If the buckle is stuck, you will need to cut it.<\/p>\n Since buckles can become stuck, it\u2019s highly recommended that you have a seat belt cutter within reach of the driver\u2019s seat.<\/p>\n If you have children or other passengers in the car, the second thing you should do is unbuckle their seat belts. Make sure you get your passengers out of their seat belts before doing anything else.<\/p>\n If you have passengers in the back seat, instruct them to exit through their window or pull them into the front of the car so they can exit through your window.<\/p>\n After everyone in the vehicle is unbuckled, try rolling down the window. Most car windows will still work after making impact with water. If you cannot get the window to roll down, however, you will need to break the window.<\/p>\n This can be extremely difficult without a car window breaker (safety hammer). This device almost always comes with a seat belt cutter. Make sure you have a seat belt cutter\/window breaker within reach of the driver\u2019s seat at all times.<\/p>\n If the window won\u2019t roll down and you don\u2019t have a car escape tool, you will need to kick out the side or rear window, but this won\u2019t be easy.<\/p>\n Once the window has been rolled down (or broken), push the children out of the window, oldest ones first. Then, climb out of the window yourself.<\/p>\n Sometimes, you can\u2019t get the window to open. In this case, if water is entering the vehicle, wait until pressure is equalized on both sides of the door before attempting to open it. This usually means waiting until the water level is the same on both the inside and outside of the car.<\/p>\n Take a deep breath, open the door, and swim out headfirst. If you don\u2019t know which direction is up, follow the bubbles, which will always rise to the surface.<\/p>\n Once you have successfully escaped from your sinking vehicle, determine whether or not you can swim to dry land. If it makes sense to stay put and call for help, do that instead.<\/p>\n When swimming to safety, swim in the direction of the current (if you are in deep water).<\/p>\n Be extra careful when driving in high flood areas and around areas adjacent to bodies of water. If there is a flash flood warning, avoid driving if possible. People can drown in less than 1 foot of water.<\/p>\n Just because the car ahead of you was able to drive through the flood waters doesn\u2019t mean that yours will. Follow The National Weather Service\u2019s advice: \u201cTurn around, don\u2019t drown.<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n If your car has been partially or completely submerged for any reason, do not try to start the car without first having a mechanic conduct a full inspection.<\/p>\n The costs to restore a submerged vehicle are extremely high, usually exceeding its value. Most insurance companies will consider a submerged car as \u201ctotaled.\u201d<\/p>\n Luckily, Auto Simple<\/a> has an extensive inventory of used vehicles to get you back on the road again, all of which come with a 6 month\/6,000-mile Powertrain Warranty.<\/p>\n If you have any questions, don\u2019t hesitate to speak with one of our\u00a0Online Specialists<\/a>\u00a0or give us a call:<\/p>\n Chattanooga, TN \u2013 (423) 551-3600<\/strong><\/p>\n Cleveland, TN \u2013 (423) 476-4600<\/strong><\/p>\n Dayton, TN \u2013 (423) 775-4600<\/strong><\/p>\n Dalton, GA \u2013 (706) 217-CARS (2277)<\/strong><\/p>\n Keep in touch with us on Facebook<\/a>,\u00a0Twitter<\/a>,\u00a0YouTube<\/a>, and\u00a0Google+<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Nobody wants to find themselves in a submerged vehicle. Unfortunately, many drivers will find themselves in this terrifying position. It can happen to anyone. According to research from the University of Manitoba, vehicles submersions are responsible for around 400 deaths a year in North America, one of the highest fatality rates of motor-vehicle accidents. Some […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":3397,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[22],"tags":[97,113,138,249,269,270,488,509,510,651,653],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\t\nHow to Escape from a Sinking Car<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Brace for impact<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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Remain calm, but move quickly<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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Don\u2019t open the door<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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Unbuckle your seat belt<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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Unbuckle passengers\u2019 seat belts<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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Open the window (break it if necessary)<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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Climb out<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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Open the door (if the window won\u2019t open)<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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Swim for dry land<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Final Notes:<\/strong><\/h4>\n